USA > California > Los Angeles County > History of Pomona Valley, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the valley who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 44
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MRS. MYRA MYERS
No praise is too high for the woman who has accomplished so great a degree of material success from such small beginnings, and who at the same time has devoted much time and effort to the higher things of life, and in kindness to little children. Mrs. Myra Myers, proprietor of the Willow Street Dairy, in Pomona, is a native of Black Hawk County, Iowa; she was raised on a farm in the Eastern state, and was one of the early pioneers of Pomona Valley, coming here in 1888.
In 1892 Mrs. Myers purchased four acres on Alameda Avenue, corner of Willow, and started a dairy with one cow, given her for a
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birthday present. This small nucleus for a dairy was increased until at one time she was milking eighty-eight cows, and at present maintains a dairy of thirty-two cows, all full-blooded Jersey stock. The milk and cream from the dairy is sold in Pomona, delivery being made with auto truck and milk wagons. Mrs. Myers is rated as one of the best judges of dairy cows in the Valley and gets good results from Jersey cows in particular. She has her dairy cows tested every three months for tuberculosis, the only dairy in the Valley to test that often, and in 1916 had the highest test of any dairy in the Valley, 81.65 per cent. Her cow barns are modern and sanitary and every precaution taken to keep them that way and maintain a high standard of output.
In addition to the dairy, the ranch is greatly improved and beauti- fied; all varieties of fruit trees have been planted, oranges, peaches, guavas, avocados and walnuts ; and a beautiful flower garden, with 200 different varieties of roses. Poland-China and Berkshire hogs, chick- ens and rabbits are raised, and in addition to the useful animals a fine lot of canaries add to the cheerfulness of the place, with their wealth of song and coloring.
Mrs. Myers is a widow, her husband having died many years ago, and she has one son, Charles A., who married Miss Nellie Thomas of San Dimas and is the father of three children. He owns a fine dairy in the Ontario district.
Very fond of children, and with pity in her heart for those who have no home, Mrs. Myers has taken many orphans to raise, twenty- two all told, and has had as many as eight at the ranch at one time; some of the older ones helping her in the ranch work and thus gaining a practical knowledge which will be of use to them in later life. She has educated some of them and given them music lessons. Of an artistic nature, as well as a successful business woman, Mrs. Myers has a fine collection of china painting, which work she has done in her leisure time. Her home is full of many interesting curios and objects of art. In fraternal circles she is a member of the Maccabees, and in religious duties she attends the Trinity Methodist Church.
CHARLES EDWARD SUMNER
An intellectual old-timer of Pomona who is now living in happy retirement in Los Angeles, is Charles Edward Sumner, a gentleman fortunate in pleasant and interesting recollections. He was born at Moncton, N. B., on March 4, 1860, the son of William H. T. and Elizabeth Charlotte (Thompson) Sumner. His father was born at Lubec, Maine, where his ancestors dated back before the Revolution- ary War. His business took him to Canada, where the younger members of his family were born. There were six children born to this couple, three of whom are still living. The father died at Moncton at the age of eighty-eight years and the widow, now ninety- four, is still living there.
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The fourth child in order of birth, Charles Edward Sumner attended the common schools of Canada, where he received a thorough training in the elementary branches; then he studied law in Shediac, N. B., and then took a law course at the Boston University, where he graduated with the class of '81 and received his degree of L. L. B. Cum Laudæ. Instead of beginning his career in the East, on account of unsatisfactory condition of his health, he availed himself of an opportunity to travel and went to England, later coming to California to visit an uncle at Kernville, Kern County. So satisfactory did he find conditions in this state that he fell in love with it and then decided to make it his home.
Mr. Sumner spent a short time in Los Angeles; and while there he found he could not stand the coast climate, and journeyed inland to Pomona, where he found a dryer condition more to his liking. He met J. A. Graves, now vice-president of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Los Angeles, and upon his motion he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court. At that time, in 1882, Pomona was a town of about 500 inhabitants and the principal industry was the saloon (there were fourteen). The young attorney entered into the spirit of the West and allied himself with the forces for law and order, and soon became city attorney, serving for two years, during which time he proved one of whiskey's heartiest opponents. He spent most of his two years fighting the saloons, although his salary as city attorney was only thirty-five dollars per month, and closed every saloon, and every case prosecuted resulted in a final conviction.
On January 21, 1888, in the old Meserve homestead-an old adobe-in Pomona, occurred the marriage of C. E. Sumner and Miss Elizabeth Meserve. She is a native daughter, born in Santa Cruz into the family of Alvin Rand and Elizabeth (Holser) Meserve, natives of Maine and Missouri, respectively, and pioneers of the Pomona Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Sumner were members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Pomona. Their domestic life has been gladdened by the birth of two children-William Alvin, an attorney of Los Angeles who saw hazardous service with the aeroplane squad- rons of the United States Army in France during the World War ; and a daughter, Miss Jeanne Esther, active in philanthropic work in Southern California.
When Pomona was incorporated Mr. Sumner, in conjunction with P. C. Tonner and John H. Lee, drew up the incorporation papers ; with Mr. Lee he also published. the first daily newspaper in the town- The Daily Times-later known as the Times-Courier. In 1891, with four associates, Mr. Sumner erected the Union Block, a brick structure at the corner of Thomas and Second streets, at that time one of the pretentious buildings in Pomona. While residing in the city Mr. Sumner went in for orange and lemon culture, and set out groves in North Ontario, now Uplands, and these groves he cared for and
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owned for more than twenty years, when he sold them. He was one of the original members of the North Ontario Fruit Growers Ex- change, afterwards merged into the O. K. Exchange.
In 1900 Mr. Sumner removed to Los Angeles, where he practiced successfully for just a decade, when he retired. He is a Republican in matters of national politics, but broad minded enough to work first, last and all the time behind any good movement for better citizenship. He enjoys the fellowship of the University Club of Los Angeles.
JAMES HUME
A well-known figure in Pomona Valley and popular with all who knew him, James Hume was fortunate in having the blood of one of the finest nations in the world in his veins-Canada, who since her valiant part in the World War has come into her own and now stands in the very first ranks for all the attributes which make for greatness, both in the individual and in the nation ; strength, valor, and the under- lying principle of "hewing to the right," which is the kernel of their strength. Born in Ontario, July 8, 1851, he was raised on the farm there and educated in the country and town schools. Later he fol- lowed the implement business at Milton, Ontario, and also traveled on the road selling farm implements.
In 1896, Mr. Hume came to Pomona and first bought fifteen acres of land in the southeast part of town, near the cemetery. Here he followed stock raising and raised alfalfa, berries, fruit and vegetables. In 1907, he sold out and bought 320 acres in Tulare County. This land was a lake bed and under water. In 1912 the water was drained off and the land became very valuable and pro- ductive. Mr. Hume later rented it for a grain farm and it is still in the possession of the family.
In his early operations in Pomona, Mr. Hume met with some financial reverses, but he was a man to persevere, and finally won out and left a comfortable estate. He started afresh, in 1905, with a capital of but $200, and with the assistance of his wife, who helped him in every possible way, in encouragement and in a thrifty saving of his income, he amassed a competency from that small beginning. He farmed 200 acres of rented land back of Ganesha Park to grain, kaffir corn and barley, and also ran a small dairy at his home place, 161 San Francisco Street.
In 1909, Mr. Hume was united in marriage with Mrs. Lottie Hill, a widow, who was born in New York, but was reared and lived all of her former married life in Canada. She had one daughter by her former marriage, Lulu Irene Hill, who married George Friend of Ontario, now serving in the United States Army in France. She had always been the same as Mr. Hume's own daughter, raised by
Janus Hume
Lottie Heume
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him from a child, and was very fond of her father, as he was of her ; in later years she was of great assistance to him in looking after his business affairs. A birthday party was given Mr. Hume by his wife and daughter on April 1, 1916, to celebrate his sixty-fifth birthday, with all his children in attendance. A man of exceedingly cheerful disposition, always a kind and loving husband and father, Mr. Hume was very popular in both his native Canada, and in Pomona. He served in the city council for years in Canada, and assisted in further- ing to the best of his ability, the upbuilding of his home city and sur- roundings. He was a Mason of good standing in Canada, but did not affiliate with that body in Pomona. In religious duties he was raised in the Presbyterian Church.
Twice married, by his first union Mr. Hume was the father of four sons : George, a banker of Oxnard, Cal .; Thomas, of Visalia; Lloyd, formerly a druggist of Woodland, now with the United States Army in France; and Clarence, a rancher of Pomona. The passing of this loyal citizen, April 1, 1919, was sincerely mourned by his devoted family, and by his hosts of friends in the Valley; his widow, in the midst of her sorrow, can comfort herself with the knowledge that she had done her part nobly, proven a real helpmate and com- panion. A woman of splendid character, she is a member of Trinity Methodist Church and of the John Wesley Bible Class.
MONROE THURMAN
The descendant of pioneer forbears who came to California in the early fifties, Monroe Thurman is himself a native of the Golden State and a pioneer of Pomona. He has seen the settlement grow from an inland country village to a prosperous city, the center of other flourishing communities, and has aided in the development work which has made the present-day prosperity possible. Born in Savannah, Cal., September 20, 1871, Mr. Thurman is a son of Reason and Dora (Fuqua) Thurman, a pioneer couple who crossed the plains in 1852 with ox teams and took up a homestead at Savannah, which they farmed. They lived at that place for a period of forty years, at the end of that time coming to Pomona, and here the father died, in 1915; the mother is still living, one of that band of noble, self-sacrificing women who by their early labors have made the state a future haven for their children.
The second of nine children born to his parents, Monroe Thur- man received his education in the public schools of Savannah and of Del Monte and Pomona, where he attended high school. After his school days were over he began helping his father on the home farm, and thus gained the knowledge which has made for his success in later
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life. The family moved to Pomona in 1886, making them "old- timers" in the community, and in all its upbuilding projects their share was cheerfully borne.
In taking up ranching for himself, Mr. Thurman has followed the business for which his early training adapted him, and he has met with unusual success, now cultivating 1,000 acres of leased land and realizing large returns for his knowledge of ranching. Having grown up with the state, he knows his environment and plans his work accordingly.
The marriage of Mr. Thurman, which occurred December 22, 1893, at Pomona, united him with Miss Mary De Brunner, a native of Kansas, and daughter of a pioneer grocer of Pomona who settled here in 1883; he has since passed to his reward, but her mother is still living. One child has blesed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Thurman, a daughter, Myrtle. Fond of hunting, Mr. Thurman takes his recrea- tion in that sport, and he also takes an active interest in the politics of his district, supporting the Democratic party. In fraternal orders he is a member of the Elks of Pomona, and of the Knights of Pythias, and stands ready at all times to back his belief in the possibilities of his community in a substantial manner, working always for the further development of this beautiful "Valley of the West."
JOHN GOETTSCHE
The constant march of progress in Pomona brings to her environs business men, tradesmen and workmen of the highest standard. In John Goettsche, a native of Germany, born in that country October 31, 1860, Pomona possesses a workman in the line of cabinet making that she may well be proud of.
Mr. Goettsche learned his trade in the old country and it is super- fluous to say that he is thorough and has an unsurpassed reputation for the excellency of his work. He is a self-made man, and came to the United States in the spring of 1883, when twenty-two years old, alone in the world, with his way to make in a strange land and in unfamiliar surroundings. He located in St. Paul, where he worked at his trade and attended night school to learn to speak the English language. He afterwards followed his trade in Des Moines, Iowa, for two years be- fore he came to Los Angeles, Cal., in January, 1887. He worked at his trade in Los Angeles, and in 1888 went to San Francisco and con- tinued the business of cabinet maker until 1892, working on the interior finishings of many homes of the wealthy residents in that city while there. In 1892 he returned to Los Angeles and followed his trade there until 1901, the year that he came to Pomona, where he has since worked and resided.
It was in Pomona that he first engaged in business for himself. He erected a small shop at the corner of Second Street and Garey Ave-
David I Curry
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nue and engaged in manufacturing office fixtures, book cases, show cases, etc. He next bought property at the corner of Third and Locust streets, built a shop and sold it in 1906, and that fall he erected his present shop at 440 South Locust Street. He has made many book shelves for the public library, and the interior fittings for many of the stores on Second Street. He did interior work on the First National Bank at Claremont and in many of the homes in the city, as well as in the Wells Fargo Express offices in Santa Ana and Pomona. His work is of the highest character, is built on honor, and he has never had to solicit an order since he has been in business in Pomona.
In 1891, at San Francisco, he married Katherine Mueller, a native of Germany, and they are the parents of two children, Henry, of Po- mona, and Bertha, who attended the Pomona College at Claremont and is now teaching school in Roseville, Placer County, Cal.
DAVID W. CURRY
An early settler of Pomona Valley, and a pioneer of Kansas before coming to the western country, David W. Curry came of a family with a long and honorable military record, and men of that name have served in every war of our country. Mr. Curry was born in Madison County, Ohio, July 22, 1838, his father, Captain James Addison Curry, served in the war of 1812, and his grandfather, also named James Curry, was a colonel in the Revolutionary War. Raised on the home farm in Jerome Township, Madison County, Ohio, and attending the country schools, young David enlisted in turn for ser- vice in his country's behalf. He joined the One Hundred Twenty- first Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and his war record of three years' duration received honorable mention. Part of the time, on account of sickness, he was a member of Company C, Eighth Regi- ment Veteran Reserve Corps. He had the honor to be one of the guards at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln.
At the close of the war Mr. Curry returned to Ohio, and there on September 18, 1871, married Agnes R. Chapman, a native Ohioan and granddaughter of Abner Chapman, who settled in that state when it was a wilderness and the nearest trading post was seventy miles away, and there were no roads nor vehicles, all supplies being carried on horseback and in saddle bags. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Curry removed to Great Bend, Barton County, Kans., and pioneered there during the time of the buffalo and Indian in that section; a wild, unsettled country, the young couple established their home there the year after the Santa Fe Railroad came through, and set about carving a habitat for themselves in the wilderness. Mr. Curry took up a government claim of 160 acres and bought another quarter section, broke the raw land and cultivated its acreage until
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coming to California, in 1888. He helped organize the first public school in their district, and served as township assessor.
After his arrival in this state, he first bought twenty acres of land near Norwalk, Los Angeles County, and ran a dairy and chicken ranch. In 1902, he came to Pomona and bought a home on East Holt Avenue, and also invested in an orange grove; the later years of his life he lived retired, and his death occurred October 9, 1914. He was a member of Dan Bidwell Post, G. A. R. of Norwalk, and highly esteemed in the Pomona Valley for his fine traits of character and public spirit.
Five children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Curry, all born in Kansas; Gwin, one of the successful orange growers of Southern California ; Daisy, Mrs. L. S. Kittridge of Seattle ; Mrs. Abbie Ryan- Jones of Pomona; Mrs. Eltha Bidwell of Sacramento; and Phoebe May, a graduate of Pomona College and now a teacher in the public schools at Richmond, Cal. Mrs. Curry has six grandchildren to brighten her life.
ALBERT EDWARD TATE
To have weathered a life of varied experiences and to choose the peaceful orange groves of Pomona Valley as a reward, is the biog- raphy of Albert Edward Tate. He was born in Victoria, Australia, a son of John and Mary (Ryan) Tate, the father a newspaper man of note in the early days of that country's development, one of the first writers on the Melbourne Australasian and the Tarrengower Times. Both parents are now deceased.
Albert Edward Tate received his education in the common schools of his native country, and in the school of experience, being compelled to leave school at the early age of thirteen. His first busi- ness experience was in Broken Hill, Australia, and he met with con- siderable success for five years, only to suffer the entire loss of his buildings by fire. At the age of thirty-four years he left his native land and came to California, first stopping in San Francisco for six months, and then continued to Southern California. He was with C. C. Desmond in Los Angeles for a year and a half, then, on March 15, 1905, came to Pomona, and here took charge of Crawford and Moles' Department Store, now the Orange Belt Emporium, a corpora- tion, as president and general manager, remaining in that capacity until November 8, 1918, when he sold out his interests to the stockholders and retired from business cares to give his time to orange growing.
During his years in the business life of Pomona, Mr. Tate proved himself a man of worth to the community. For six years he was presi- dent of the Business Men's Association, and he is a charter member of the Chamber of Commerce. A man of self-sacrificing public spirit,
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he has been active in promoting and aiding many movements for the advancement of Pomona and her tributaries, and is highly respected in the community, both as one of its most successful merchants and as a worker for civic betterment. He has served as chairman for all the Liberty Loan drives, and Pomona's record for "going over the top" at the very beginning of each drive is largely due to such men as Mr. Tate; working in conjunction with the whole-hearted patriotism of the Valley, they have set a record for future generations, and one to go down in history as a matter of pride for all concerned. Fond of outdoor life, Mr. Tate's present business, that of orange growing? is in the form of a recreation, and his former business experience serves to make it profitable as well as enjoyable. In politics he supports the Republican party.
The marriage of Mr. Tate, on April 18, 1911, united him with Miss Amelia Mescher, a native of Illinois, and three sons have been born to them, John, James and Elmer.
SCOTT TRIMMER
A worthy representative of western energy and progress was to be found in the late Scott Trimmer during his lifetime. He was a man of excellent business ability and thrift, and his memory is treasured in the hearts of his many friends.
A native of Illinois, where he was born, near Hudson, in McLean County, June 13, 1847, his demise occurred at La Verne, Cal., Octo- ber 11, 1916. He was born and reared on an Illinois farm, and in his manhood was successfully engaged for thirty-two years in the occupa- tion of farming in the county of his birth. He greatly improved his two-hundred-acre grain farm, underlaid it with tiling for drainage, and engaged in the profitable occupation of raising corn, horses, cattle and hogs. A prominent man in his section of country, he was school trustee and actively associated with the Church of the Brethren. He came to California for his health, arriving at La Verne, December 24, 1906, and his life was unquestionably prolonged by the benefit derived from the salubrious climate of Southern California. He made large invest- ments in the residence section of La Verne and purchased the entire block running from Third to Fourth and F and G Streets, which at that time was a grain field. He sold off the south half of the property and subdivided the remainder, selling it off for home lots. This site is now occupied by fine homes and is the best residence section of La Verne. Mr. Trimmer also owned valuable lots in different parts of the town. He was a stockholder in the State Bank at Pomona, and was active in the Church of the Brethren at La Verne, of which he was a member.
Mr. Trimmer's marriage united him with Miss Catherine Forney, a native of Somerset County, Pa., the ceremony being performed in
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McLean County, Ill., November 20, 1873. She is a daughter of Michael and Rachael (Horner) Forney, who came to Richland County, Ill., in 1856, where the mother died. The father spent his last days in Carlisle, Nebr. Mrs. Trimmer was educated in the public schools, and, having a sister residing in McLean County, she went thither in 1870, where she made the acquaintance of Mr. Trimmer, which re- sulted in their marriage. The adopted son of Mr. and Mrs. Trimmer, Enos F. Trimmer, resides on a forty-acre alfalfa ranch southeast of Pomona, which is jointly owned by mother and son. He is married to Clara Vandruff, and they have two children, Arthur and Russell.
Mrs. Scott Trimmer is especially liberal in her support of the various benevolent undertakings of the church of which she is a mem- ber and in which she is an active worker, whose advancement lies ever near her heart. She has recently completed a beautiful modern bunga- low at 316 East Fourth Street, where she resides, and those who are privileged to be entertained in her home appreciate the honor and the courteous friendliness of their hostess, who presides over the home with gracious dignity and hospitality, and whose interest in and loyalty to La Verne is quite as pronounced as was that of her late husband.
HON. WILLIAM A. VANDEGRIFT
Eminent among those who have always stood for the best that Pomona could reasonably be expected to strive for, no matter what the cost might be in time, effort or wealth, the Hon. William A. Van- degrift carries well his honors as mayor of this famous interior town, each year forging ahead to its destiny as a leader among the most progressive cities of the Golden State. He was born at Newcastle, Pa., on March 26, 1863, and first came West in the early nineties.
His father was Aaron, and his mother Margaret (Patton) Van- degrift, substantial farmer folks; and they lived and died in Pennsyl- vania. William was educated at the rural schools, and so grew up under those favoring conditions that have helped youth and manhood to develop in the Keystone State. For a while he was clerk in a grocery store, and then he became an apprentice to the glass-blowing trade, and worked at that for twenty years.
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